Robots Not Uprising, but Sitting

I AM A SUBTITLE!!!

Zack Jacobson-Weaver is the Materials Fabrication Studio Coordinator at A&D.

Hey y'all. Just came across this crazy article about Rapid Prototyping with much less size limitation. There is a question though. How do people feel about robots taking over making stuff? What is the artists role? The designer? Do you harbor irrational fears of robots. Some say they cannot feel (Andre!). Is a robot-made-object devoid of emotion? Do robots get paid to do this? If so, are we talking, like, 30k, 50k, what? You tell me. Let's use this blog......like a blog.

I totally harbor a fear of robots. But it makes me appreciate my intuition, which can't be outsourced to them. Booyah!

Posted by Collin on January 21, 2011

What about AI. If we can make intuitive robots, what's left for the humans....except.....DELETION! Check out the new video above. This is software reacting to real time input. Is that like intuition?

Posted by Zack Weaver on January 21, 2011

I have no problem with using robots to make stuff, and I'm pretty sure that they don't mind helping, either. It's just another tool, right? I think that this particular giant robot's low-res method helps the final object seem *less* devoid of emotion - like somebody pointed out in the comments on that link, no two chairs would be exactly the same because of the way it squeezes out the plastic.
Also: That video reminds me of when Mr. Rogers would take field trips to visit factories. I think it's the piano music.

Posted by Andre Grewe on January 21, 2011

One of the teams in the "Research Through Making" show in the TCAUP gallery is essentially trying to remove humans from 'design criteria' by digitizing the process of construction from site analysis> building design iteration> fabrication> installation ( and once skynet's in place, even getting the robots to move from site, to fab shop, to installation) so "robots" essentially design and make our spaces for us. What's the emotional quality of something like that?
-Mr McFeely

Posted by Zack Jacobson-Weaver on January 21, 2011

Hmmm. The idea of A.I. making the "decisions" or "designing" is pretty tricky. On one hand, you can look at it as an extension of being just another tool, but one that you trained rather than one that you directly use. On the other hand, a tool that can intuit or learn creativity is more than a little creepy.
- King Friday XIII

Posted by Andre Grewe on January 21, 2011

Meow agree. But, mankind seems to have always been on meow path to replace it's current form meow. Maybe if this happens, we can finally turn into meow super-lazy-do-it-virtually-ever-expanding-wastoid-consumers as portrayed in meow movie Wall-e, meow. SHIT! meow. We got it backward again, meow. Meow meow meow. -Daniel the Tiger

Posted by Zack Jacobson-Weaver on January 21, 2011

Fear of robots? Yes, but more concerned than fear. Why? Because I don't want people to continue to become disconnected from the earth. Are they devoid of emotion? Well, these are human-made, so within their intricacies, human-like action/reaction/interaction is interwoven. Every single second of interacting with another human being is full of layers, both that we do and don't understand; I don't think that a robot could sync to that level; why would we want them to?